What did winners say about the Publican Awards 2023?

Four companies took home multiple awards earlier this week at the 2023 Publican Awards.

BrewDog won two accolades, Best Pub Brand/Concept and Best New Site, the latter of which BrewDog Bars CEO James Brown said the team were “most proud of”.

Greene King also scored a double win in the Best Pub Employer (501+ employees) and Best Tenanted/Leased Pub Company (501+ sites) categories.

Brilliant operators 

Managing director of partnerships and ventures at Greene King, Wayne Shurvinton, described the win as “amazing”.

He added: "I have always said to people we don’t come to work to win this award, we don’t wake up every morning and think everything we are doing is for this but when you do win it makes it all worthwhile.

"Our licensees are the best in the sector, they are brilliant operators, they care, they are passionate, they run brilliant pubs and this award is for them."

Barons Pub Company also saw success in two categories, winning Best Pub Employer (up to 500 employees) for the second year in a row as well as the Best Pub Operations Team award.

High standards 

Additionally, Nightcap was crowned the Best Late Night Operator while the businesses CEO, Sarah Willingham, was named Business Leader of the year.

On winning Business Leader of the Year, Willingham said: "I was so surprised, I just didn’t expect it, I thought ‘you’ve not been here long enough’, I was just so happy. I am really made up."

More than 1,400 people from all corners of the sector attended the awards, the biggest annual event in the hospitality calendar, at London Evolution in Battersea on Wednesday 29 March.

Editor of The Morning Advertiser, which organises the awards, Ed Bedington said: “The pub and bar sector is really under the cosh at the moment, so it’s superb to see that these businesses, despite the challenges, continue to maintain the high standards that have put them at the top of their game.”